Liveblog: Game 34 – Canadiens top Islanders on OT goal by Pacioretty

Not easy

The Canadiens and Islanders battled through 61 minutes and 50 seconds of scoreless hockey.

Then some determination – he was knocked down twice on the sequence – and clever playmaking by David Desharnais set the table for Max Pacioretty's 12th goal – and fourth game-winner – of the season.

Carey Price made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season and 21st of his career.

Evegni Nabokov stopped 24 of 25.

Max wins it

Just under two minutes into overtime, Max Pacioretty converts a pass by David Desharnais for the game's only goal.

Chances

Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov had to be sharp on Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov and Lars Eller.

Shots were 6-5 Canadiens, 23-21 on the game.

Ho-hum

The Islanders blew a 4-on-1.

Each team blew power-play chances.

Islanders had a 7-6 shot advantage.

Not a classic so far

Two minutes into the game, George Parros and Islanders' enforcer Eric Boulton dropped 'em in an absurd fight that ended with the refs ordering to Parros to the Canadiens' quiet room after he was KOed.

The game he left behind was equally quiet.

The Canadiens had an 11-9 shot advantage, but the closest thing to a goal was John Tavares hitting the post to Carey Price's left.

It can only get better.

Bounce-back game?

The Canadiens have lost more than two in a row only once this season: the beginning of October, when they dropped games to Minnesota, Colorado, St. Louis and Ottawa.

The loss to the Blues was a Bell Centre Shootout. The Canadiens have not lost three straight in regulation ... to date.

The Islanders are 19 points behind the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference standings. They are coming off a dismal road trip in which they lost four of five to Western Conference opponents (and scored an improbable Shootout win in San Jose).

The home team is 1-7-2 in its last 10. The Islanders are seemingly ripe for the plucking by a Canadiens team trying to get back on the winning track.

OK so I’m an idiot.
I tried to link the following image to show some pretty ugly Christmas hockey sweaters, but somehow linked a receiver I just bought.
Of course Timo had to be the one to pick up on it….. I’m still laughing.
Anyhow, since I still can’t edit, I’ll just put the link in again.
Enjoy it … in a disturbing way.

We have a minor 2 game losing streak and are still sitting in 3rd in the East and after Thursdays game it sounded like the Habs were 1 point out of last place. Kings seem to be laying waste to their Eastern opponents so 6-0 or 2-0 a loss is a loss and better to get a bad game out to a Western team than lose vs an Eastern team like we did to Philly. We’re not going to win every game and probably will have another bad one this year. Having posted that, not as many Trolls on tonite.

Bill, you once asked what the Habs record was with Parros in the line-up. Well, it’s 2-5-1. The two games they won were against Toronto and Boston, but they lost to Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis, Ottawa, Philly and the home opener against Toronto. I don’t see how his presence improves the team.

Purposely left out tonight’s game. He played for 30 seconds and didn’t really affect the outcome of the game.. (like he ever did). Look, he’s a nice man. Just a really ineffective player. I mean Mathieu Darche was more helpful.

It keeps the other players agitators or tough guys in check, but that’s no use if it handicaps the 4th line. The way this team’s offense has dried up it needs contribution from the 4th line. Parros can neither help offensively or take on a defensive task.

Harditya, I agree White can fill both roles better than Parros, but it is what it is. Also some posters don’t care for Murray due to lack of speed but when he’s out there the crease is cleared and the facewashing’s the Habs received last year seem to have disappeared when he’s on the ice.

On the other hand that 4 game losing streak (Col., Min. St. L, Ott)was a bit of an outlier for this season, and how many minutes/seconds did he play in those games?…Not to mention that there were a few other players involved in those gamea as well. (whole team was playing poorly and was dealing with injuries)

Eller may have been the best Hab (Price excluded), tonight. Twice he pulled off the move that may come to be known as “the Eller”, in which he wins the puck in the corner and makes a power move to the front of the net, on his forehand. Habs didn’t score, but chaos ensued in the Islanders’ crease, on each occasion. And his check on Tavares was 100% clean.

Crosby whacks his own team mate in the face with his stick. Super obvious on replay. Detroit gets called for the penalty. Big huddle with officials… Crosby also involved in talks with Ref…. End result? Detroit in the box for high sticking.

Crosby has taken more than his far share of unsportsmanlike conduct against him. I am assuming you are saying Crosby is being unsportsmanlike here. He needs to argue it if he can, he owes that responsibility to his team as the guy wearing the “C”.

He owes nothing to the game? He owes everything to the game, and he gives a lot to the game, arguably the most of anyone in “the game” right now. I’m responding to your comment with the reason why he is “arguing” as he owes it to his team because he wears the “C” to talk to the refs and try to negotiate things in his favor. Ultimately it is the refs decision, not Crosby’, as to what the call is. If you want to be upset, be upset at the refs for getting it wrong, not Crosby for doing his job. He owes it to his team during a game, long before he owes to “the game”.

Have no problem with what Crosby told the ref one way or the other. But if you think about it, if Crosby helped talk the ref into a penalty that didn`t happen, then I fail to see how people can get so worked about about a dive or faking an injury. Whatever it takes to help the team is the goal so………

Ugh… what is it with people and their shtick against Crosby.
He’s the best player in the league by a huge margin and he has to put up with the league’s stupid mentality on rough play and on letting dirty and cheap shots go 90% of the time. Crosby takes a lot of abuse by virtue of how damn good he is, and some are surprised that he brings it up to the refs? Every player talks to the refs, Crosby has to do it because he is a captain and his job is to put the team first – no one in their right mind is going to call off a penalty. If that is unsportsmanlike, then so is every other player who has taken a penalty that his team should not have gotten.

Yes, there will be no discussion about that with respect to Olympic participation. But let’s be honest, Keith needs to be on that team, everyone feels that. Most of us here feel PK needs to be on the team too, but unlike Keith it isn’t unanimous.

I’m sorry for Parros, as I respect the guy, and as much as I dislike staged fighting in hockey, this may well be it for him in the NHL. the last two Habs heavyweights have not been tremendously successful experiments. Guys like Prust, Moen, White, and Murray are more our speed: guys who can play and fight when the situation merits it. I’d like to seen an end to staged fights, as they are rarely more than a farce: two players who have been sent out for the sole purpose of fighting each other. Rarely has either fighter done anything in the game to deserve the smack down. If that happens, I want to see immediate repercussions, not some two shifts later spectacle.

Coming from a big Pacioretty fan, I really don’t like the stick twirl and holster motion. I don’t know why it bothers me. I used to love the triple low five with Subban and Price. I guess it is old age.

Penalty or no penalty, Tavares has already had a concussion, and if he doesn’t start keeping his head up when he’s carrying the puck, he won’t be long for this league. Eller smoked him with a perfectly clean hit.

100% i have watched the replay complete legit hit, shoulder hit to a junior age player (TAVARES what were you thinking) using the net as a pick with your head down, Tavares was a complete idiot to think he does not get dropped, Eller did his job big time.

I’m all for stopping concussions, but as the rules are now, that was a very clean hit. Spot on shoulder to shoulder. Tavares keeps his helmet loose and so it flew off when Lars skated right through him. Simple physics.

It looked bad when you see it initially with the helmet flying through the air, but you can see Lars make a point of hunkering down to deliver a shoulder hit. He also keeps his elbow tucked in on the follow through. That’s a textbook legal check.

It’s the second game in a row the officials completely miss the boat on a check. First Emelin and now Eller.

Hey guys on tonight’s broadcasts did any of the network analyst say anything about Emelin not being suspended and actually decipher Downie’s performance and give him so due ridicule for the outrageous selling of a head shot and dive,

Have to disagree a bit. Beginning of the year Prust was hurt and in no condition to fight (upper/lower body injury) and even skated away from a few. However he now seems to have his old Mojo back and his truculence. Can’t comment on tonight’s tilt for Parros but when he received his concussion he had already beaten Orr and was doing it for a 2nd time when the accidental (I still give Orr the benefit of the doubt even though I dislike him) face plant gave Parros the concussion. I’ve seen most of the Habs games (except for the last 3 weeks) and Parros has not looked out of place taking on other enforcers.